The Contract
by SkItZoFrEaK
Summary: 'Happily Ever After' doesn't mean things are easy and perfect forever. Tenten figures that would be so boring anyway. Tenten. Shino. Life as newlywed shinobi under the shadow of a new threat.
1. Rules of Engagement

Notes: I usually don't do sequels. Weird personal quirk. But this is definitely a sequel, and will inevitably cause confusion if you haven't read read my story 'The Middle Ground' first. It's a hefty read (this story won't be nearly as long), so if you don't want to, I will sum up for you: it's a Shino/Tenten story with emphasis on their lives as shinobi. This story will be a Shino/Tenten with emphasis on their lives as shinobi _together_.

Goals: To have a much more stable, overarching, well-written plot in this story. To stay within the character boundaries I established in Middle Ground and within canon itself – while putting them both into some unusual and sometimes dangerous situations.

Warnings: This is a sequel, so certain things have already been pre-established. Also, I don't believe in 'happily ever after' or that love conquers all. Minor swearing in this chapter, and some references to alcohol.

**The Contract**

Chapter 1

Rules of Engagement

There were times when Tenten felt invisible. Not the good-shinobi-hidden-in-the-leaves sort of invisible, either. The "wait, who was that chick again, you know, the one with the hair?" sort of invisible; the kind of vague, shadowy anonymity that made her want to blow things up in a big way. She could distinctly remember the forlorn, uncertain sensation of being eight years old, a nervous, brand-new student in the Ninja Academy standing by the sidelines as gangs of happy, yelling children showed off for one another and utterly ignored her. She recalled years of jealousy at Neji's countless, effortlessly gained admirers, even at Lee's loud, colorful, impossible-to-ignore force of presence. Say what you would about Lee's over the top attitude or Neji's studied rudeness, at least no one ever forgot their names. Tenten had once wished, after a lonely day and deep in a dark corner of her heart, that she could be, just once, more...well, central. Important. Hell, _visible._

Of course, wishes like that, they had a tendency to backfire in one's face in the most predictable way.

_Oh, Gods of Irony, _Tenten thought as she pushed through the bustling Hokage's office with her cheeks aflame and her eyes staring straight ahead, _what I wouldn't give to punch you in the nose. _Today, for the first time in awhile, she was feeling the somewhat alien sensation of being entirely too noticeable. Today, the day before the Ceremony, she felt less like a shadow and more like – excuse the reference – a bug on a microscope.

"Hey, here for the pre-signing?" some chunin clerk she didn't recognize shouted at her from his desk as she passed, smiling widely. "Good luck with that!"

"Ooh, big day, huh?" Another jounin she distantly recognized from around the Hokage's office slapped her on the shoulder as he passed down the hallway. "Good luck, Tenten!"

Other voices called out as she walked through the halls, some even sticking their heads out of doors as she went to wave at her. "Hey, Tenten, congrats!"

"Wow, this must be an exciting day!"

"Not as exciting as tomorrow, I bet."

"You mean tomorrow night!"

"Heehee, look at her blush!"

Tenten nodded and waved vaguely, her face still frozen in the noncommittal half-smile she'd been wearing since she'd left her apartment that morning. People she rarely saw, or even total strangers went out of their way to come up and shake her hand, clap her on the back, or congratulate her. Even the cameras mounted discreetly in the hallways of the Hokage's office seemed to follow her as she made her way through the corridors and staircases towards the top office. Tenten imagined the chunin assigned to watching the security feeds pointing at her in their screens and whispering, _look, that's her, gosh she seems so normal._ It felt odd that so many people were even interested in her affairs; but then, shinobi dealt with death and loss so often that something cheerful and positive like this was always a nice relief. And Tenten had long ago learned that most shinobi were terrible suckers for gossip.

_I wonder how Shino's holding up to all this? _Tenten's fixed, fake smile softened into something much more real for a moment as she pictured his face, giggling as she imagined some stranger trying to make small talk with Aburame Shino about his personal affairs. Yeah, she could see that going well.

Thinking about Shino, of course, brought her mind sharply back to the reason she was here, and the smile abruptly dropped off her face. She considered trying to hide the sudden flush of nerves with an impassive mask, something she had learned to do quite well as a jounin shinobi. But she had finally made it to the upper floor, and there was no one in the hallway outside the Hokage's door to see her. Well, no one but the security-cameras, but Tenten had already marked both of the two cameras in the hallway and could easily turn her face so that neither of them could see her expression.

She took a moment to lean against the wall and take a deep breath. _Stop being silly_, she ordered herself once the first heat of embarrassment, nerves, and tightly wound anticipation had passed. This was just a review, a formality; it wasn't like anything real would happen until tomorrow.

Plus, if she loitered out here too long, someone might think she was reconsidering.

Tenten pushed off the wall, set her shoulders back and relaxed her body. _Try to be more like the Hokage_, Tenten told herself. Straightforward, confident, professional. Repeating the words like a mantra in her head, Tenten knocked firmly on the door.

"About time," the Hokage's voice grunted from the other side. "It's way too early for this. I haven't had a drink in, what, six hours?"

_Well, two out of three was good enough,_ Tenten thought to herself.

"It's almost noon," Shizune muttered reprovingly as Tenten pushed the door open. Then the younger kunoichi smiled at Tenten and gestured to the chair in front of the Hokage's cluttered desk. "Hello, Tenten. I just want to be the first to offer my congratulations and well wishes for your future!"

"I doubt you're the first," Tsunade said, examining an empty sake bottle with a sour expression. "Shizune, what have I told you about scheduling appointments so damn early? You have any idea how late I was up last night listening to the blather-mouths in the decoding department whine?"

"The Aburame contract with Konoha sets a very specific time-limit to the signing of the Union Contract," Shizune scowled, putting her fists on her hips and glaring at the Hokage. "This was the latest we could wait and still technically be within that limit."

"Shizune, no one has concerned themselves about that rule for generations," Tsunade grumbled back, pointing a sharp finger at her assistant. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that if you hadn't wasted an hour going over the fine print, no one would have even remembered it."

"Lady Hokage - " Shizune sighed, but Tsunade waved her off and focused her attention on Tenten's carefully neutral face. With a quick sweep of her arm, she knocked a pile of books, a few empty bottles, and several crumpled scraps of paper onto the floor, leaving her desk cleared. Shizune opened her mouth to protest as the piles clattered across the floor, then snapped it shut with a resigned look.

"Enough of this nonsense," Tsunade said in a suddenly brisk tone. "Give me the contract, Shizune."

The assistant pulled out an elaborate scroll from a nearby shelf, and Tenten felt a little jolt in her belly as the woman carefully untied the red and gold cord and spread the paper out on the Hokage's desk. "Before I read you the stipulations of this contract," Tsunade said to Tenten, lacing her hands under her chin and regarding the jounin with assessing eyes, "I am required to ensure that you are properly sponsored. Normally, the signing party's parents sponsor their child in these things, but since you're an orphan, you need someone else."

Tenten nodded. She had read up on this stuff herself, partially to know what she was getting into, and partially out of self-defense. The last thing she wanted was to wind up looking foolish or ignorant tomorrow. The contract spread out on the Hokage's desk wasn't all the different from most major contracts in the old archives; it's rules mostly centered on the same things that all the major clans of Konoha had once required. The major difference was that few of the clans still used these contracts nowadays. In them, Tenten needed someone considered a 'trusted and proven member of Konoha society, sworn and bound to it's law' to sign under her own name, a sort of character-witness. Though the contract was upside-down and slanted away from her, Tenten could already see the neat, precise scrawl under one of the blanks at the bottom. So Aburame Shibi had already signed, meaning Shino had already had his appointment with the Hokage to hear the stipulations of the contract read. Funny, he hadn't said anything about it at dinner last night.

"So," the Hokage concluded in the extended pause, bringing Tenten sharply back from her thoughts. "Who will be signing for you?"

"Oh, well," Tenten stalled, glancing at the wall clock and biting her lip. It would break his heart if he found out he'd missed the perfect opportunity to make a well-timed dramatic entrance.

"Tenten?" The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "Who is your sponsor?"

_Wait for it,_ Tenten thought. _And..._

"YOSH!" Boomed a voice from the doorway. "It appears that once again I have arrived in the very nick of time!"

Bingo, Tenten thought, smiling at the Hokage's distinctly unimpressed face. "I could think of no one better to sign for me than my sensei, Maito Gai," Tenten said serenely.

With the ease born of years of experience, Tenten took a deep breath just in time for Gai's powerful arms to snatch her out of the seat in a bone crushing hug. She tensed her rib cage to give her lungs as much space as possible and tried to breathe in quick, shallow bursts. She could last a lot longer inside a Tearful Hug of Joy this way.

"My precious and wonderful student!" Gai bellowed happily over her head, tears of unbridled delight streaming down his face. "I am honored beyond words that you have asked me to sign this most important document for you! Oh, how radiant and glorious you have grown, how truly magnificent to see you achieving this joy in the bloom of your youthful spring! How - "

"Unless you intend to suffocate her first," the Hokage's voice cut through the tirade, "put her down and get over here, Gai. You can compose epic poetry later."

With a final, loud sniffle, Gai set Tenten back on her feet and bowed to the Hokage. Tenten rubbed her bruised ribs once surreptitiously, then grinned and shrugged at the disgruntled Hokage, who was now massaging her temples and looking more hungover than before. "Here," she jabbed a pen at Gai's shining bowl cut. Shizune cleared her throat quietly, and Tsunade glanced at the piece of paper that Shizune had discretely placed under her elbow. She squinted at it, rolled her eyes, then tossed it careless aside. "Right. So, Gai. If you're certain that she is a," Tsunade peered over the side of her desk to squint at the discarded paper again, then continued, "a 'useful and loyal shinobi who will serve her new family well,' then sign under the second blank line."

"Of course, Lady Hokage, I believe that Tenten will be all this and much more! A better asset and a more lovely flower of -"

"Here," Tsunade shoved the pen into his hands and twisted the contract to point at the empty space. "Then, if you promise to keep it down, you can sit and listen while I read the clauses to Tenten."

Gai signed with a flourish, adding a little flower and a couple drawn-in sparkles around his name, eyes and nose still streaming with pride and joy. Tenten smiled at him when he was done and sat back down in her own chair. Gai all but collapsed next to her, pulling out a giant green handkerchief and blowing his nose loudly. He was loud, strange, and occasionally obnoxious, but he had been more than a teacher to Tenten since she was a pre-teen. He'd been a mentor, a dependable teammate, and in some ways, a better father than many she'd seen. He had saved her life, her teammate's lives, and taught her to value the meaning behind those actions more times than she could count anymore. Let him spout weird poetry, she thought. Let him be a little bit ridiculous. He's earned that, and more.

"Well then," Tsunade sat up straight and snapped the contract sharply, signaling that it was time to get to business. Tenten crossed her hands in her lap and tried to look attentive and calm.

"This agreement and plan of marriage," the Hokage read, "dated this fourth day of May, pursuant to Section 79 of Chapter 154B..."

Tenten watched the Hokage's face as she read, noting with a mix of gratitude and annoyance that the Hokage's eyes skimmed a few lines down every now again as she worked through the legal jargon stating (in confusing, archaic lawyer-speak) that this contract was, indeed, a contract, and the parties who signed it knew it was a contract, and the parties who signed for them knew it was a contract, and within the contract there were things which were contractually binding...

Well, alright, maybe a little skimming was in order, at least so far. Finally, though, Tsunade's voice changed from mildly bored to much more professional, and Tenten sat up straighter. Little of the clauses surprised her, mostly being about stuff like giving up her former home and agreeing to live within the 'established residence of the party of the second part," and rules that required her to be loyal and faithful and so on. There was a clause stating that Tenten would henceforth be considered the legal responsibility of her new family, and had a right to invoke their protection (and judgment) in lieu of facing Konoha law should she get into trouble, and a clause stating that deliberately concealing information that 'rendered harm or brought about harmful situations' to the clan would place her in breach of contract and subject to reprisal.

They were nearing the end of the contract when Tsunade's eyes suddenly flickered up to Tenten's face, a veiled expression in their depths before she resumed reading. Tenten felt her muscles tense in surprise as the Hokage read, "It is understood and agreed by the party of the first part entering into contractual obligation with the party of the second part that the undersigned parties shall make every effort to conceive a healthy child. The child so conceived will be submitted to the judgment of the clan, to wit, the most senior and experienced medical professional dedicated to the proliferation of the clan's bloodline for examination and evaluation purposes; and, should the child be found legitimate and suitable, both parties of the undersigned shall submit, within twenty-four hours of birth, barring exceptions made by the aforementioned medical professional, the child to the inception of the clan bloodline limit."

"Wait!" Tenten blurted, mind racing. "That part wasn't in the old records!"

"It was added some forty years ago, I believe," Tsunade said calmly, looking up at Tenten's flustered face. "When an arranged marriage went sour and the bride refused to allow her husband to touch her. If he had not been the leader of his sect during an unstable time within the clan, it might have been a purely personal affair, but since it left the sect leader with no heir, they added this law to the contract."

"So...so it means that I have to have kids, right?" Tenten said slowly, glancing over at Gai's now somber expression. "And that I have to then give them up to the clan for this inception thing."

"In a nutshell," Tsunade raised a thin eyebrow at her grimly. "Yes."

"Oh." Tenten blinked, trying to process that. "I...I didn't know."

"Tenten, if you need time to consider the implications-" Gai began in a serious tone, but Tenten shook her head.

"No, no, it's okay, I probably should have actually seen that one coming." She smiled weakly. "I mean...actually, yeah, I should have." She felt her face darken a little. "Because he should have _told_ me."

"That was the last major clause," Tsunade said, rolling the scroll up and handing it to Shizune. "You have now been officially apprised of the rules and stipulations in this contract. I understand that you have until this time tomorrow at the actual ceremony to decide once and for all if you plan to sign it." She propped her chin up on one hand and regarded Tenten coolly. "I suggest you go home and put some serious thought into it."

* * *

"You're not seriously surprised at her reaction, are you?" Shikamaru grunted in annoyance at his underling. "It was almost two in the morning."

"She threw a bottle at my head!" The chunin exclaimed indignantly, folding his arms. "Hard."

Shikamaru clasped his hands behind his head and scowled up at the office ceiling. "You ducked, didn't you?"

"I just don't think the Hokage understands the importance of these messages!" The chunin groused. "We may have evidence of a massive underground network already operational in the cultural centers of the world. The decoding department really thinks this could be a big deal!"

"Then you are sabotaging your own efforts," Shino interjected calmly from where he was leaning on the doorframe. "How so? By presenting your findings to her at a time least likely to make her receptive to your message."

"Yeah, try talking to her when it's not an ungodly hour in the morning after a long day of meetings," Shikamaru agreed.

The chunin's shoulders drooped and he nodded despondently. "Yes, sir."

He turned to walk out of the office, but before he made it to the door, Shikamaru sighed and said, "Alright, alright, bring me the documents and I'll look 'em over. I've got a meeting with the Hokage this afternoon anyway. If I think it looks like something big, I'll go over it with her."

The chunin brightened considerably. "Yes, sir!"

"What a pain," Shikamaru muttered as the chunin left and Shino walked over to his desk. "I'm getting sick of all this troublesome desk work."

"You are the head analyst in the Hokage's office," Shino remarked, watching the chunin retreat down the hallway through the eyes of the kikkai he'd left in the hallway. "Such prestige comes with a certain responsibility."

Shikamaru snorted, closing his eyes and leaning further back in his chair. "Yeah, I know, I know. Fortunately, it also comes with the ability to delegate."

Shino raised an eyebrow. Suddenly Shikamaru's earlier request that Shino swing by to see him before picking up Tenten from the Hokage's office made sense. And the way that Shikamaru's face was now clear of even his customary scowl meant that he was very serious about whatever he wanted to discuss. Or rather, delegate. Shino considered asking what great apocalypse was looming over the village now, but decided that the sarcasm would be unbecoming. "Indeed," was all he said instead.

Eyes still firmly closed, Shikamaru nudged a stack of papers with his knee, causing the top folder to slide down from the stack and towards Shino. The folder was labeled "Data Collection," and was sealed with a special chakra-tag that only Shino or Shikamaru would be able to unlock without damaging the contents. "That's the stuff from last week's decoder meeting. If my guess is right, whatever they've come up with this week that has them all excited is probably just confirmation of what's in here."

Shino picked up the folder and stuck it carefully inside his jacket. "These are decoded messages intercepted from the Earth Country."

Shikamaru cracked an eye open to regard him. "You guessed that pretty quick."

"That chunin from the decoder department is a field agent. He was sent recently on a long trip to the Earth Country," Shino replied. "He has some family ties there, I understand."

"Which gives him the perfect cover story for a reconnaissance trip," Shikamaru agreed. "You know, most people only watch the deployment rosters for their own names. They don't keep track of every posted mission in the database."

Shino said nothing. Shikamaru scratched his ear lazily, still watching him through one half-closed eye. Then he shrugged and squinted instead at the ceiling. "Yeah, those are from the Earth Country. There's a name we've been hearing a lot of lately in the black market and among some of the bigger gangs. Something to do with stealing other people's paperwork and selling it underground. I want you to look over what we've gathered so far and draw some conclusions. We'll talk it over some more in a few weeks."

"When I return," Shino said sharply, aware that Shikamaru was deliberately glossing over a very important factor in this assignment and was unwilling to let him.

The analyst opened both eyes at last, resettling his chair fully on the ground. "Yeah."

Shino regarded him for a moment, feeling a slight wash of irritation buzz though his body, then letting it go. "I will be in the city for two weeks," he said. "Is there anything in particular you wish me to look for?"

"Just keep your eyes open," Shikamaru said evenly. "Maybe check out a few leads. Look, I'm sorry to task you on your honeymoon and all, but it's a good opportunity for a little recon with a good cover story."

Shino nodded, repressing the urge to scowl. It was a good opportunity, he knew. Shinobi Rule 46: the best cover story is a true cover story. So, he would have to spend some of his time with Tenten hunting through the dark corners of the Fire Nation capital...or rather, he would have to spend some of the time he should have been spending with Tenten doing so. The chakra seal on the folder meant this was a top secret mission – he could not share it with her. The thought was unexpectedly...disagreeable.

Shikamaru studied Shino's impassive face for a moment, but kept his observations to himself. "Great," he said at last. "So, you going upstairs to pick up Tenten?"

"No need," Shino replied, and turned his head slightly to the side to glance over his shoulder. On cue, someone rapped sharply on the door.

"Yo," Shikamaru grunted, and Tenten pushed the door open to stand framed in the doorway, one hand on her hip and her face carefully neutral. Instantly, Shino felt a little whisper of warning in his chest at that completely blank expression.

"Heard you were in here," she said in a calm voice. "You done?"

Shino kept his eyes on her face, but his kikkai ranged behind her in the hallway saw the tension in her knuckles, the way her lips were pressed just a little too tightly to be as relaxed as she seemed. Shino wondered for a moment if she already knew about Shikamaru's assignment and was displeased...and then he realized that she must have just come from the Hokage's office - from the ritual reading of the contract.

The whisper of tension in his chest became a soft hum.

"Yeah, we're done," Shikamaru drawled from his desk. "See you two later."

Shino nodded, still watching Tenten carefully. She smiled thinly at the other man and stepped out into the hallway without once making any eye contact with Shino whatsoever. "Women," Shino heard Shikamaru mutter very softly under his breath. "Good luck."

Shino fell into step alongside of Tenten, watching her in his peripherals and through the kikkai. The kikkai sensed her chakra patterns in combination with her body's physical makeup, and Shino interpreted their unique sensory input was through colors, smells, and tastes. Through the kikkai, Shino saw Tenten's chakra as a bristling, complex pattern of multi-shaded blues and greens. Her dominant scent translated to him as a mix of steel and grass, but at the moment the kikkai also registered a smell that reminded Shino of fumes rising from spilled oil on pavement – harmless enough until someone lit a match. She was definitely angry. But more worrisome than the anger was the faint underlying tang of...Shino frowned. Something bitter, like overripe lemons. Was it...fear?

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly as Tenten pushed through the outer doors of the Hokage's office building and strode out into the sunlight.

"Fine," she said shortly.

Had she been anyone else, Shino would have likely allowed the conversation to end there, reasoning that if someone wanted to tell him what was wrong, then they would do so. And if they didn't, he either didn't need to know, or could find out through his own means later. But this was Tenten, and more importantly, this was Tenten moments after reading a contract designed to bind them together for the rest of their lives. No, this was not something that Shino was willing to let go.

"You have just come from the Hokage's office," he said, keeping his voice as mild and non-confrontational as possible. He hesitated, then decided to probe. "Something there angered you."

"I am not angry!" She said sharply, throwing him a glare.

"The Hokage read you the contract," he insisted, starting to feel a little provoked himself. "And something clearly offended you."

Tenten turned her head to look at him for a moment, her face still carefully blank. "Yes, I am upset. But no, I am not _offended_. Can you at least wait until we're home for the rest?" Shino glanced down the street, considering the crowd of people going about their business, and weighed the distance from here to Tenten's apartment. She had a tendency to work herself up, he knew, and the longer it took before she got whatever was bothering her off her chest, the more upset she would be about it by the time they did speak. On the other hand, if this turned into some sort of fight here in the street, it would be the talk of the town in about two hours. Neither of them needed that, certainly not right now.

Shino nodded.

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

Tenten waited until Shino had closed the door to her apartment, the _click_ of the handle sounding oddly hollow in the now almost completely empty space. Moving out had been surprisingly easy, since Tenten wasn't much of a packrat (except in certain, specialized areas), and Rock Lee had made it his personal challenge to move her as efficiently and quickly as possible. As a result, all that was left in Tenten's home for the past ten years was a sleeping bag, a cooler with some food, and a few random clothes and scrolls. Tenten walked to where the largest of her scrolls sat propped against the wall and picked it up, slinging the familiar weight back over her shoulder where it belonged. She didn't think this was about to turn into a fight, not the kind that required physical weapons...but still, she felt better, more balanced with it slung over her shoulder and resting against the small of her back.

Behind her, she heard Shino shift his weight as he recognized the significance of her actions. "You are angry with me," he said in a neutral tone, but Tenten knew his voice well enough to catch the hint of agitation underneath. He hated not knowing what was going on. Well, to be perfectly honest, so did she – _so in this case, turnabout is freaking fair play,_ she thought darkly.

Turning to face him at last, Tenten set her feet and put her hands on her hips and struggled to keep her mind clear and objective. "Yeah, I am."

Shino stood across the bare room, hands hanging at his sides and chin tilted downward, and all around her Tenten felt the eyes of the kikkai watching. He was silent, waiting for her to say her piece.

"You remember how you gave me those old contracts to look over last week?"

Shino nodded slightly.

"Did you pick them specifically?"

His eyebrows drew down in confusion, but she didn't explain. Finally, he said, "I merely selected a handful from the archives."

"So you're telling me that you didn't pick certain ones, or only ones from a certain time?" Tenten asked, raising her eyebrows.

"My selection was purely random," he replied firmly. "Why was I so caviler in my choice? Because very little has changed in those contracts over time."

"So why did you only pick old ones from a hundred years ago?" Tenten demanded. "Why not anything more recent?"

"Such documents pertaining to individuals who are still alive are private," Shino responded sharply. "I considered it courteous to avoid probing into someone else's personal affairs." He was angry now too, Tenten saw. She felt a little flash of guilt – maybe she was being unfair, attacking him without telling him why, or even how. But then she remembered the look on Tsunade's face when she'd read that last clause, and the sudden shock that Tenten could have avoided if he'd only prepared her. He _should_ have prepared her.

She narrowed her eyes at him and went for the kill. "Then tell me that you weren't deliberately hiding the child clause from me. You know, the one that says I have to have kids?"

Shino's shoulders shifted slightly under his heavy jacket, and his head jerked up a fraction. She'd surprised him. Tenten felt her own shoulders relaxing marginally, a little of the anger dissipating. Maybe he hadn't known either...then again, his father had already signed the contract, which meant Shino had already sat before the Hokage and listened to her read the clauses. He could have told her about it last night at dinner, or this morning before she went to the office. Her lips compressed again; _oh, he had better have a _great_ reason for keeping this secret,_ she thought.

"Why would I attempt to hide anything regarding this contract from you?" Shino said with a note of admonishment in his voice. "Such a thing would be foolish, because you are required to know what is in it before signing."

"I know that!" Tenten snarled. "But hell, maybe you thought I would miss it when the Hokage read it, or that she would glaze over it, or something."

Another moment of silence passed, long enough that Tenten's patience began to fray around the edges. But Shino always took his time before speaking, even moreso when he thought the subject was important. So she waited, suppressing the urge to tap her foot or snap something waspish at him.

"What is it that bothers you?" Shino asked in a tight voice. "That the clause exists or that you were not forewarned?"

"Both!" She jabbed a finger at him. "One, I don't like being told that I _must_ do something like that, something that will affect my life so completely. Two, I don't like sitting in front of the Hokage and feeling like someone just punched me in the face. And three, I really don't like feeling like _you_ just let me walk into that punch without making any attempt whatsoever to warn me it was coming."

"So you believe that I set you up for it?" He sounded incredulous as well as angry now, and Tenten registered the faint buzz of the kikkai stirring.

"I don't know _what_ you were doing, Shino! Why else would you completely fail to say anything? I mean, there's no way you didn't know about it. Why the hell would you leave me in the dark like that?"

"I was not hiding this from you," he said.

"Then _why_ didn't you say anything about it?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "You should have told me," she said, letting some of the hurt and confusion show.

He took a step forward, then stopped, one hand raised partially towards her. "I did not think it would be..." Shino paused, clearly hunting for the appropriate word, but Tenten cut him off.

"Important?" She snapped, more venom in her tone than she'd intended.

Shino looked at her for a long moment, then dropped his hand back to his side. "Problematic."

"It wasn't _problematic_," Tenten uncrossed her arms and gestured emphatically. "It was a blind-side. I mean, you showed me all those other contracts, those old documents and stuff, and led me to believe that everything in there would be in the one I was signing. But that child clause thing wasn't on a single one of those old contracts, Shino. Trust me, I'd have remembered." She shook her head and opened her mouth to say more, but Shino suddenly grabbed her waving arm and stepped closer, pulling her a step forward as well.

"Tenten," he growled, and the surprise of Shino cutting her off like that, so unlike his usual approach to an argument between them, startled her into silence. "Do you recall the exact wording of the clause?"

"What?"

"The words of the clause," he repeated, and she heard his internal struggle with his emotions under the flat tone of his voice. "Do you remember _exactly_ what was written?"

"Shino, the entire contract was written by crazy people!" Tenten twisted her wrist in his grip until her hand was tangled in his, both of their knuckles turning white. "Crazy people who lived a million years ago and spoke like drunk, sadistic assholes. It took me forever just to figure out who the 'party of the second part' was supposed to be!"

Shino took a deep breath, and through their tightly linked hands Tenten felt the agitated buzz of the kikkai under his skin calm. "It specifically states in the clause," he said carefully, "that both parties _shall make every effort to conceive._" He tilted his head, looking now at their hands, and his grip on her fingers relaxed but didn't let go.

Tenten stared at him, running the words through her head and then trying to match them up to the Hokage's words earlier that day. With a little jolt she realized that he was right, that it was only her own paraphrasing that had implied she was required to actually _have_ children. After a beat, Tenten dropped her gaze too, feeling her face flush with a mixture of surprise and shame.

"Oh," she said. And then, as the full implication of Shino's words hit her, "_Oh. _I, um, I think I must have missed that."

"I would not have hidden such a thing from you," Shino repeated quietly, and Tenten stared at their interlocked hands for a moment before sighing.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."

"As am I. Why? You were right; I should have noted the change and mentioned the clause to you after my own meeting with the Hokage."

Tenten loosened her grip on his hand and rearranged her fingers to intertwine with his. "Yeah, but I shouldn't have been so quick to assume that you did it deliberately. Sometimes I forget that even a genius can make mistakes." She glanced up at him through her eyelashes, a tentative grin on her still red face. "So...it just requires the effort, huh?"

Shino met her gaze, and she felt him tracing his thumb lightly in a circle along the back of her hand. "Yes," he said in a lower, slightly rougher voice.

"Well then," Tenten bit her lip. _Note to self, _she thought, _always read the fine print. _"Guess that's different then."

"You have no objections?" he asked, and his face was suddenly too neutral, his voice too careful. His hand stilled in her own, and he seemed poised to drop it and step away.

Tenten suddenly knew that this was it, that he was giving her a final chance to walk away forever. Instead, she reached up with her free hand and brushed her fingertips over his lips, then settled her hand on the back of his neck.

"On the contrary," she tilted her head and tried to look as innocent as possible. "I'm looking forward to it."

His lips twitched into a smile, and his thumb slid again along the back of her hand, soothing and exciting her at the same time. "I see." He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers, and Tenten felt herself relaxing for the first time all day. She closed her eyes and let the tension go, but one little nagging voice in her head muttered, _I hurt him. I hurt him with my suspicion and my knee-jerk accusations._

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Thank you," he said softly, and Tenten's eyes snapped open but he wouldn't let her jerk back, his hand firm on her neck in mirror-image of hers. "Why? For talking to me about it," he concluded. "For coming to me first."

"Well, why wouldn't I?" She asked quizzically. "It really only involved you and me."

"Hm."

Tenten regarded him for a moment. "There's going to be secrets between us, you know," she murmured.

Shino raised his head a little, and behind the reflective glasses she knew he was looking her in the eye. "Yes," he agreed.

"We're shinobi, after all," she continued. "Plus, it's not possible to know everything about anyone, no matter how long you're together or how close you are or anything."

He nodded.

"But stuff like this can't be a secret, even unintentionally," she finished firmly. "Stuff that involves both of us and our life together, I mean."

Shino smiled faintly at her. "Agreed."

"Good," she smiled back. "Because after tomorrow I'm your wife, and I'm told that it's traditional for wives to throw stuff at their husbands when they get out of line."

Shino's eyebrow quirked up. "You have been speaking with Nara."

"He says pans are typical, but I'm shinobi so you can possibly expect some kunai or maybe the odd exploding tag. And my aim is pretty good, you know." She laughed a little. "Just a friendly warning."

"Noted."

"Okay," Tenten took a deep breath, then wrapped her arms around Shino's chest and pressed a kiss against the sensitive spot behind his ear. "Then I guess I'm ready for tomorrow."

He ran his fingertips up her spine deliberately, making her arch against him in response. His other hand flicked the clasp of her heavy weapons scroll and dropped it to the ground behind her. "Good."

* * *

"Shino? Do you think all our arguments will end like this?"

"I sincerely hope so."

"...I _meant_ will they end this quickly. And without, you know, a lot of drama and mess."

"So long as we maintain the established pattern, it is possible."

"You mean, so long as we keep talking?"

"Yes."

"Then I promise to chatter constantly."

"Until I stop you."

"And just how do you plan – oh."


	2. The Party of the First Part

Notes: You may wonder at the size (and guest list) of this event, given that the two characters involved are really side characters and not closely attached in any way to the main character(s) of the series itself. My answer: any excuse to party in Konoha, my friend. Plus, some large clans are involved in this one, from the Aburame to the Hyuuga (teammates on both sides), to the Akimichi (whom I have turned into Konoha's caterers, it seems). So why wouldn't everyone be there? Plus, it was an excuse to annoy the hell out of Shino, which is always fun.

Goals: A good, lighthearted scenario before things get hairy. A believable Shino POV (in an unusual situation – I struggled with this one), and a theory about how motherhood might work in the kunoichi world (and a very mild spoiler/speculation about Kurenai's life post-Asuma arc).

Warnings: Stray curse word or two, a little bit more mush than I typically write, and more talking than action.

* * *

Chapter 2

The Party of the First Part (Knows How to Party)

"Dude, you're practically _naked_," Kiba laughed. "You realize there's a ton of people out there, right?"

"Shino looks very nice," Hinata said in a mildly reproving tone. She reached out and carefully adjusted the low collar of Shino's sleek black formal jacket and offered him a small smile. "It's not so unusual to see you without your overcoat," she added, but just a touch too quickly to be completely convincing.

"Yeah, right. You can see his _face_," Kiba pointed out, jabbing a hand at Shino's chin. "And his neck and stuff. If he just took the shades off, no one would know who he was. And then they'd all be like," Kiba affected a goofy, cross-eyed expression and pitched his voice higher. "'Hey, who's the weird guy marrying Tenten? Never seen him, wow, he's a bigger loser than that Shino -' Ow! Hey!"

Shino stared passively as Kiba danced around, scratching at his shoulder blades and trying to dislodge the small, biting kikkai planted firmly in the middle of his back, just out of reach. "Okay, okay," Kiba growled. "You look fine, alright? Call it off, asshole!"

The kikkai fluttered out from Kiba's collar, neatly dodged his half-hearted swipe at it, and sunk back into Shino's outstretched hand. Shino dropped his arm, and immediately had to stifle the urge to stick his hands into his pockets. The form-fitted black jacket he wore today had none, so he was forced to let his hands swing at his sides. As much as he hated to admit it, Kiba was right about one thing – he was more exposed in this outfit than he typically cared to be. His face, neck, and hands were bare, and today his glasses alone felt oddly inadequate as a shield.

But he was not heading into battle, so it hardly mattered. This was not a mission, Shino reminded himself absently. Just a...demonstration. A formality. Really more of a legal technicality, made public. Very public. Through the hive link, Shino heard a babble of different voices and smelled a variety of different chakra-scents milling around in the large room just outside the small antechamber where he stood with Kiba and Hinata. Several Konoha shinobi from Shino and Tenten's age group had come (mostly for the ensuing party, since he didn't imagine the standard Aburame ceremony would be all that entertaining for them), and of course the majority of his clan were seated out in the large room. And in another small room just past the ceremonial chamber, he knew Tenten waited with her own teammates, preparing to face the crowd and sign the contract that would bind their lives together.

Shino resisted the urge to sneak a kikkai into the room to check on her. Not only would she undoubtedly find it (or her Hyuuga teammate would), but it was a pointless exercise. He would see her in a few minutes. Only a few minutes. It would be quick, just a brief reiteration of some of the key clauses, then they would sign, and then it would be settled. He would sign, Tenten would sign, and it would be done. Easy. The hard part would come after the ceremony, Shino thought, when they had to start figuring out how to make two separate lives into a single connected one. They would have to work out their mission schedules, their living arrangements, their future plans...today was just a brief formality, really. Today he just signed a piece of paper, and Tenten would sign next to him and they would officially be married. No big deal.

"Yo," Kiba's rough voice cut into Shino's cyclic thoughts. "You look like you're about to hurl."

Shino blinked. "I am..." he swallowed. "Not."

Hinata put a soft hand on his arm. "It's alright to be nervous," she said. "This is a very big day for you."

"There is no need for nerves," Shino said sharply.

"No," Hinata agreed. "But it happens anyway."

Shino felt his mouth jerk into a brief, jittery smile. "Hm," he grunted, the smile gone as quickly as it had come. His hands were clenching slightly, he realized, and with a slow, even breath he forced his body to relax, willing the excited kikkai in his chest to calm. Perhaps she had a point, after all. "I suppose it does," he admitted reluctantly.

There was no point lying to himself about it, particularly if it was so obvious to his teammates. _So, I am nervous_, he thought, forcing himself to be rational and self-assessing. _Very well, now that I know it, how can I overcome it? Perhaps I should consider why I am nervous in the first place._

Well, that was simple enough. He was...unaccustomed to crowds. That was the most logical reason. He didn't like being the center of so much attention. And he felt uncomfortable without his usual coat, high collar, or hood. He'd even changed out his combat-glasses, the heavy wraparound style shades, for the less concealing standard shades favored by the older members of his clan. Surely that was it, the only cause for his discomfort -

"She's gonna sign, you know," Kiba said, leaning on the door and picking his teeth as he regarded Shino through narrow eyes. "That's what's got you all twisted up, ain't it?"

Shino stared at him. _It is a sad day,_ he decided privately, _when Kiba has to tell me what I am thinking because I am too...'twisted up' to do it myself._

"Don't sweat it, man," Kiba continued, flapping a hand at his friend, "I mean, I can't say I'm an expert on Tenten, but I can tell she's pretty hung up about you. And you're totally stupidly in love with her, or something." He shrugged. "And you got like, the same ethics and stuff. So you're gonna do well in this married thing."

Shino raised an eyebrow. "Inuzuka Kiba, Relationships Expert and Advisor."

Kiba barked a laugh. "Hey, I'm just callin' it like I smell it, right? Besides, I've known you for approximately forever and I can interpret your weirdness pretty good."

"It's time," Hinata murmured, and Shino promptly forgot whatever retort he had lined up against Kiba. He snapped his mouth shut and flexed his fingers, wishing heartily for his heavy jacket and high collar.

With one last slap on the back from Kiba and quick comforting squeeze from Hinata, Shino walked through the door and into the ceremonial hall. They followed him, taking up station on either side behind him. Tenten had insisted on both Lee and Neji standing as her 'bridesmaids' - and she'd said it with a perfectly straight face, too, although her eyes had sparkled with mischief as Neji scowled and Lee boomed a delighted laugh. Shino had smiled in response and agreed, pointedly ignoring the exasperated, ever-so-slightly pleading expression the Hyuuga shot him behind her back. But once Kiba had discovered the arrangement (and after he had finished laughing himself sick), he had demanded that both he and Hinata should be allowed to stand with their teammate as well. At the time Shino had rolled his eyes, but now, nervous, exposed, and at the center of so much attention, he was glad to have his teammates at his back.

The room was full of familiar faces: his classmates and their families, Aburame clan members, and a few prominent faces from the Hokage's office (including the woman herself, seated in the front and actually wearing the official hat of office). Maito Gai sobbed loudly next to Kurenai-sensei, who smiled warmly at Shino and nodded encouragingly. Shino kept his eyes trained forward, but of course Kurenai knew his kikkai were watching the crowd. He nodded slightly in return, and made his way to the front of the room. His palms felt clammy, and he once again wished for his heavy jacket, this time if only to give him something to do with his hands. Having them hanging loose at his sides felt awkward and uncomfortable, as if he was waiting for an attack.

Shino's father stood by the small table on the little stage in front of the crowd. The gold and red-bound marriage contract was laid out with care on the table, with a calligraphy brush and an ink stone sitting next to it. Shino had a brief moment of...concern as he realized that he had not warned Tenten about the calligraphy. Then he realized that she had seen at least one of these affairs before, and besides she'd mentioned something about calligraphy being linked to swordsmanship once, so she ought to know -

The door across from him opened, and Tenten walked into the room.

Tenten was not given to displays, Shino knew. She preferred function to fashion, rarely doing anything to her appearance besides keeping it neat, practical, and professional. Shino had never even seen her in anything that couldn't be worn to a fight, and she stuck to neutral or plain colors in general. She always wore clothes that would allow her at a moment's notice to blend into the background if she so chose.

Today, however, she seemed to have made an exception.

Tenten was dressed in a bright red, full-length cheong-sam dress embroidered in gold, with red and gold pins in her hair and gold bangles on her slender wrists. Her makeup was still fairly low-key, but he could see a hint of gold eyeshadow on the corners of her eyelids and red on her lips. The lights of the room seemed to reflect off the gold edging and shimmering red fabric as she walked, giving the impression of live flames as she glided smoothly across the floor and stood in front of Shino. She looked up at him gravely, and up close he could see the pulse in her neck racing, see the slight compression on her lips and the overly-alert expression in her eyes. She was nervous, perhaps even more than Shino himself.

Then Tenten met his gaze, and she smiled. It was only a slight pull at the corner of her mouth, far less than her usual full grin. Nevertheless, Shino felt the agitated kikkai calm in his chest. Suddenly, the size of the crowd and the enormity of what he was about to do seemed...less significant. That smile threw a wall around them, shutting out everyone else and giving Shino and Tenten a small, quiet space between that no other could enter. It was a private conversation, an inside joke, a secret that she shared with him alone. Shino smiled back at her, and forgot for a moment that his face was bare.

"This contract," his father said suddenly from Shino's left, "is to certify and legalize the marital status of one Aburame Shino and one Tenten of Konoha, and to bind them before witnesses to each other for so long as they live." Shibi read through the few highlights of the contracts stipulations, but Shino tuned him out for a moment. He already knew what it said, had mentally signed the document months ago when he had decided to marry this woman before him and known that she wanted the same. Instead, he took the chance to appreciate the red tint of her flushed cheeks and the way her dark eyes stared straight into his, the way her lips twitched into another little smile when Gai let out a particularly loud bawl of joy, and the way her chakra-scent continued to spike and ripple through the kikkai's senses. Almost as soon as he noted the patterns, though, her chakra patterns seemed to pause briefly, as if she was tensed up and waiting for something to happen. At the same time, she tilted her head at him questioningly.

With a jolt, Shino realized that his father was holding the calligraphy brush out to him, that the ink stone was wet and the short silence he was only now registering meant the reading was over and they were all waiting for him to take the brush and sign his name. Carefully, feeling like his hand was somehow not properly attached to his body and might fall off at any moment, he took the brush and dipped it into the ink. He had been trained in calligraphy as a child, of course, but he was not particularly proficient. He forced his hand to remember how to grip the brush, how to swirl the ink in the pattern that was his name. With the smallest of smiles at his son's tense fingers, Shino's father took the brush back when he was finished. Shino already knew that Shibi would have some remark concerning his penmanship after the ceremony, but then Tenten reached for the brush and Shino's attention focused sharply on her small wrists, her tanned and calloused fingers.

She held the brush like an expert, and in a few smooth, flowing strokes painted the symbols of her name next to Shino's. Shibi nodded in approval of her handiwork, and Shino felt a little pulse of pride. And with that, there was only one formality remaining.

Shino held out his hand, palm up, and said in as clear a voice as he could manage, "I am Aburame Shino, and I accept you as my wife."

Tenten's face wreathed in one of her brightest smiles, and she reached out to twine her fingers firmly through his. "And I am Aburame Tenten," she said with finality, sending a little thrill of...something (incredulity? adrenaline? joy? he couldn't think of a word, and for once, it didn't matter) shooting through Shino's body. "And I _love_ that you're my husband," she finished, the little sparkle of mischief back in her eyes as she deliberately altered the traditional script.

In response, Shino lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers, enjoying the way her face instantly flushed as the crowd cheered.

Behind him, Kiba suddenly let out an ear-piercing whistle; Tenten's eyes went wide as the kikkai buzzed a warning, but Shino was already moving, slamming forward into Tenten as something hot, bright, and loud shot past his back and into the crowd. He felt Tenten wrap her arms around his waist and step backwards with him, pulling him clear of the second blast that flew immediately after the first.

Shino pivoted on his heel, letting Tenten go and raising his arms to summon a bug-shield, but Tenten snagged his wrist, forcing one arm back down. "Don't," she gasped, but he was already ordering the kikkai back into the hive and glaring with disgust at his _complete_ _idiot_ of a teammate.

"WOOHOO!" Kiba screamed happily, and fired another blue and red rocket into the yelling, scrambling crowd. Beside him, Uzumaki Naruto pulled the strings of a handful of exploding crackers all at once, shooting streamers and confetti out over the chaos. "Congratulations!" They hollered simultaneously, then chucked several handfuls of spinning, whistling firecrackers into the now mostly vacated, upturned chairs. Cries of 'hey, watch it!', 'oh no, _duck_!', and several variations of 'you idiots, wait until I get my hands on you!' abounded as guests dove out of the way of the spark trails, colored smoke bombs, and wild rockets that filled the room.

"_Naruto_!" Sakura bellowed from amidst the chaos. "I'm going to _paste _your stupid, fluffy head on the _wall_!"

Tenten leaned against Shino's side, one arm still looped around his waist and her whole body shaking with laughter. He dropped to one knee, dragging her down with him to avoid a particularly large green and gold rocket that shot through the space where their heads had been a moment before. "_Kiba_," he grunted, seriously considering summoning a legion of fleas. The nasty, welt-raising, hard-to-kill kind. But as the last of the sputtering fireworks rattled and died in the smoke-filled room and both Kiba and Naruto bolted out of a window with a roaring herd of furious shinobi on their heels, Tenten leaned up and kissed the corner of his mouth softly.

Well, Shino thought as he turned to face her, no real harm done. There were plenty of vengeful shinobi hot on Kiba's heels to deal suitable punishment, and anyway, Shino had better things to do at present. The fleas could wait.

* * *

"Of course, he wouldn't sit right for a couple days," Sakura explained to Shino, "but it would definitely teach him a lesson. And Kiba too, if you want."

"Unnecessary," Shino remarked, making a mental note to avoid ever getting on Haruno Sakura's bad side. "But thank you for the offer."

"Well, if you're sure." She shrugged once, then smiled. "So you two are headed for the capital city tomorrow morning right? It's really gorgeous this time of year, but a little crowded. I'm kind of surprised you guys picked it. But I guess Tenten will like the craftsman's quarter and it's within a decent recall range of the village if something comes up at home-"

Shino let the kunoichi's cheerful, polite conversation wash over him, scanning the crowd over her pink head idly. Ah, there was Tenten, several yards away engaged in conversation with Hyuuga Neji and her old genin sensei, Maito Gai. She laughed at something Neji said, reaching out to tug deftly at a lock of his long hair. Once the smoke had cleared, the party had adjourned to the brightly lit patio outside the ceremonial hall, and Tenten had more or less been snatched away from him to mingle among the guests. She had also changed into a less eye-catching pink dress, this one slit up the sides to allow for freedom of movement and matched with long, dark leggings. Doubtless there were copious amounts of deadly tempered steel tucked securely in every seam and pocket, too. Shino would hold the golden image of Tenten in the back pocket of his soul for the rest of his life, where he could take it out and hold up to the light when he needed it, but it was a strange sort of ...relief to see her in more practical clothes again.

"-so maybe I'll see you around. We could do dinner or something if you guys are free," Sakura was saying, and Shino quickly had the kikkai replay the last few minutes through his mind. Ah, the kunoichi was planning on being in the capital at the same time as Shino and Tenten, on a mission to hunt for an organ farm somewhere in the city's black market.

"That will be up to Tenten," Shino said after a moment. "Why? I have left the planning mostly in her hands."

Sakura giggled and nodded. "I figured as much. I was going to set it up with her later. But, um, Shino," She sighed and shifted her weight, and Shino directed the attention of a few more kikkai her way. Her face was still pleasant and lighthearted, but his hive could detect a faint scent of weariness and a little guilt mixed in her unfamiliar red and yellow chakra-scent. She was about to ask him something that she did not like to ask. "Look, I know you're already getting tasked by Shikamaru and the Hokage and I know it's totally unfair to pile more on you, especially now, but, well..."

"You could ask the Hokage's office for a partner on your mission," Shino interjected, sensing where this was going and trying to keep the sharp tone from his voice. "There are plenty of shinobi who specialize in tracking."

Sakura held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I know, I know," she said. "And normally that's exactly what I would do. But there's been an influx of missions requiring trackers right now, and this one isn't the highest priority, so it's hard to get anyone re-designated. I don't need you to do much more than you were going to do anyway," she added. "I already know you were going to look around for your target. I'm just asking that you keep an ear out for any rumors about a rogue organ farm that specializes in children." Her face turned hard and her voice dropped to a much more serious tone. "These sickos are kidnapping little kids and cutting them up, Shino. And we're too swamped with all these spy missions and thief hunts and stuff to muster the manpower to stop them."

Shino hesitated a moment longer, then nodded. "Very well," he said.

Sakura brightened. "Thank you! I really appreciate it, you know." She looked about to say more, when suddenly a bright orange ball screamed past them.

"What's wrong, Granny?" Uzumaki Naruto taunted over his shoulder. "Can't keep up with the young folks anymore?"

"C'mere you obnoxious little brat!" Tsunade bellowed, shoving through the crowd and shaking a menacing fist. "Sakura, _get him_!"

Sakura sprinted after her rogue teammate instantly, face turning as red as her shirt and eyes ablaze. "Naruto, you ass! You just wait until I catch you!"

"Aw, Sakura, it was just a little fun!" Naruto's voice faded into the night as he leaped up a building and vanished, Sakura still hot on his heels.

"If he survives the night, I'm going to have to find more work for that kid to do," Tsunade grunted, coming to a halt next to Shino and planting her hands on her hips. "Clearly I'm not keeping him busy enough to stay out of trouble."

Shino nodded politely and cautiously attempted to sidle back into the shadows, dispersing a small portion of his chakra throughout the kikkai to further deemphasize his withdrawal. Across the crowd (which had resumed eating, chatting, and making irritated comments about Naruto as soon as the chase had lapsed out of view), Tenten was now avoiding another Hug of Tearful Joy from Maito Gai by pointing out Rock Lee in close vicinity to a table full of alcoholic drinks. Shino's lips quirked slightly at the expression of sheer horror on both Neji and Gai's faces as they sprang to stop Lee from sipping a glass of wine. Tenten's laugh was clearly audible to the kikkai even over the hum of the crowd, but Shino wanted to be close enough to hear it for himself.

"Hold it, Aburame," Tsunade said from where she still stood, facing into the night with her hands on her hips. Shino froze, then quietly recalled his chakra-dispersed kikkai and stepped back towards the Hokage. "You can't slink off without getting the official congratulations from your boss," she said wryly. "That would just be rude."

"Apologies, Lady Hokage," Shino said. "And thank you for the well-wishes."

"Hn," Tsunade replied, shrugging a shoulder at him in an offhand way. She raised an imperious eyebrow at someone off to the side, and Shino followed her gaze in time to see Shikamaru heave a sigh and force himself slowly out of the chair where he'd been lounging. The dour-faced analyst made his way grumpily towards them, and Shino considered attempting to sneak off again. He enjoyed being a shinobi, understood his duty to Konoha, and had long ago figured out that fairness had no part in such a life – but on occasion, his job did...well, as Kiba put it, _suck_.

"Tell him," Tsunade said without preamble as soon as Shikamaru reached them.

"We got confirmation from the decoders," Shikamaru said, hunching his shoulders and sticking his hands into his pockets (Shino felt a little flash of envy – he still had not reclaimed his own overcoat and seriously missed it). "Someone has been selling information about shinobi villages in the Earth Country. The target that was in your mission scroll was found dead in a river yesterday, though." Shikamaru lapsed into silence as Chouji and some other jounin Shino recognized from the dispatch office walked past, singing drunkenly at the top of their lungs about love, beer, and mashed potatoes. The dispatch jounin looked ready to walk their way and assault Shino with his drunken congratulations, but Chouji took a quick look at Shikamaru, then slung a heavy arm over the other man and steered him away, presumably in search of another food table. Shikamaru smirked for a moment, then turned back to Shino. "So don't worry about him. But we think he may have been on his way to a rendezvous with someone in the capital, so we still need you to take a look around while you're there."

"Dead," Shino repeated. Well, that at least negated the secret status of his mission. And the Hokage and Shikamaru talking about the modified mission here in the open meant that the priority had dropped and he could tell Tenten about it now. To his left, his wife (_his_ _wife -_ the words sounded foreign even in his thoughts) was now talking to Ino and Sai, a startled expression on her face at whatever Sai was saying. Then she laughed politely, edging away as Ino turned bright pink and slapped his shoulder, a disgusted look on her face.

"Yeah, dead," Shikamaru replied. "We're not sure, but maybe someone figured out what he was. Or even," Shikamaru's face darkened, "that we were looking for him."

"If that's the case, then someone knew about your mission, Shino," The Hokage interjected, looking up from the bottle of sake that had somehow appeared in her hand when Shino was distracted. "And I really don't like the implications of that. So take a good look around in the capital. See what you can find, and report anything that might indicate a security leak in Konoha immediately."

"Understood," Shino said.

"Shikamaru!" Ino's voice cut in. The blonde kunoichi stomped angrily towards them, still red in the face. "You would not believe the filthy jokes Sai has been telling. Who the hell told him dirty jokes were good conversation starters? Seriously, get over here and explain to him what a jackass he's being."

"Why do I have to do it?" Shikamaru grumbled.

"_Because_," Ino snapped, grabbing his arm and towing him away.

Shino looked past the retreating duo and started a little to see that Tenten had vanished somehow in the last few moments. He scanned the crowd, both with his senses and the kikkai's, but she was missing from the large crowd of partying shinobi.

"Bathroom," Tsunade supplied, strolling past Shino with a lazy chug of her sake bottle.

Shino waited a moment to see if anyone else was going to come up and assign him another task during his honeymoon, then told himself to cease the childish behavior. With a small sigh, he slumped against a wall and tried to relax his free-hanging hands. Perhaps he could slip away for a few moments, get back to his house and grab his jacket...although it might take him a moment to find it. He and Tenten had been given a whole wing of the main branch house, and with the help of both their teams had managed to move all of their possessions into it in a relatively short time. Of course, 'move in' and 'settle in' were not mutually inclusive terms, and Shino's tendency towards...unconventional organization combined with Tenten's vast and varied arsenal of weaponry made wandering around their new living space something of a hazardous venture.

_"Unconventional organization?" Tenten had said when Shino had shared that point of view with her. "Lover, this isn't _organization_ in any sense of the word – it's insanity."_ Shino chuckled a little at the memory and raised his head as the kikkai reported Tenten's proximity. She walked back into the brightly lit patio from around the fence, and nearly ran into a tall, gray coat. Shino's grandfather had appeared out of nowhere, a cup of tea in one hand and a small box in the other. Tenten shot a quick glance of surprise at Shino around Aburame Katsu's imposing back, then smiled at the old man, taking the box carefully. Shino was about to push himself away from the wall and join them when something in the shadows behind him went, "_Psst_!"

Shino was not much given to profanity, but for a moment, he considered it. Instead, he said, "This was an unwise move. I say this because you are currently high on the hit list of several shinobi in Konoha, most of whom are gathered in this area right now."

"Why the hell d'you think I'm up this tree, jerkface?" Kiba hissed at him. "Look, I'm really not sorry or anything, but Hinata gave me one of those _looks_ when I snuck in to steal some food earlier. You know, one of those looks that makes you feel like the world's biggest turd?"

Shino nodded slightly, having been the recipient of one of Hinata's reproachful 'looks' once or twice, though he preferred not to think too much about those occasions. The woman could make a saint feel guilty, and then feel make him feel guilty again for making her feel bad for making him guilty. It was a terrible situation all around. "So yeah, I figured I at least better make the effort to apologize or something. But you know," Kiba hesitated, and his next words came out slightly rushed, "I only did it 'cause you're my best friend, uh, human friend, and I figured someone should lighten you up and make you have a good time 'cause you're such a stick in the mud, and anyway it would make a good story for your family and all."

Shino processed that for a moment, watching Tenten examine with delight the small, thin blade she pulled from Katsu's gift box. She flung her arms around the old man and hugged him tightly, breaking away to show her new weapon to Neji. Shino's grandfather said something to her that made her laugh aloud, then strolled casually off, sipping his tea. Shino lowered his chin in respect and thanks to the Aburame patriarch, then turned his face slightly to look over his shoulder. "So you blew up my wedding because...you care?"

Shino didn't need to see his rambunctious teammate to know that the dog-nin was grinning with all his sharp teeth. "I knew you'd understand, you crusty old bastard."

"Hinata is going to see you in a moment," Shino replied. "You had better run if you wish to avoid another look."

"Yeah, one was enough for a night. A _few_ nights, maybe longer. Like forever." Shino heard Kiba shifting his weight slightly, preparing to spring away. "Oh hey, bug-breath! Have a good trip. I'll be in the capital hunting down some stupid camera thief, so maybe I'll catch you guys for lunch or something."

"I won't help you find the thief."

"Who asked you, asshole? I can do it fine myself! 'sides, you're on your honeymoon, ain't you? Go frickin' unwind or something for awhile."

Shino chuckled quietly, then stopped as someone said, "So _there_ you are."

He looked over to see Kurenai-sensei walking towards him, her face set in an expression he recognized from his genin days as the prelude to a 'Mister, you've got a lot of explaining to do' lecture. He had rarely been the recipient of such a lecture himself – ah, if he followed her eyeline, she was looking over his head, angled towards the lower branches of the overhanging trees just outside the lights of the patio. A quick scuffle of sound as Kiba launched hurriedly off the branch and into the night confirmed it. Kurenai-sensei glared into the trees for a moment longer, then relaxed and leaned casually next to Shino on the low wall.

"So," she said, as if nothing had happened, "how are you enjoying the evening?"

Shino circled a few more kikkai around the wall top to watch his old teacher. "Well enough."

"He really does love you like a brother," she said, jerking her head slightly towards the now empty tree branches. "A twin brother, equal in status and age. Which is why he also loves to mess with you so much. If he can't be your superior then he can at least be your tormentor."

"That," said Shino dryly, "is a somewhat disturbing analysis of our relationship, sensei."

"Not all brothers look and act alike, Shino, not even twins," Kurenai-sensei laughed softly, "but they're still brothers. And trust me on this; I've been watching the lot of you since you were kids, you know."

Shino inclined his head slightly at that, and they lapsed into comfortable silence. Nearby, Tenten and Neji had been joined by the local smith, Taneda Jiro. The short, reedy man was examining the kunai himself now, and he and Tenten appeared deep in a conversation about it's various properties. Shino noted with a small sense of personal satisfaction that Tenten had completely discarded her careful, guarded attitude towards her former enemy and could now speak to him as happily as she could to any other weapons-enthusiast.

"Have you decided how many children you will have?" Kurenai-sensei asked suddenly, and Shino's focus snapped back to her.

"What?" He blurted before he could stop himself.

Kurenai-sensei smiled at his discomfort, and raised a gently chiding eyebrow. "Oh come, now, Shino. Don't tell me that as the heir to the Aburame clan, you haven't put at least some thought into the question of succession?"

Shino fought the faint flush on his cheeks and instinctively hunched his shoulders slightly; he should have slipped home for that coat when he had the chance. "There is time for such...considerations later," he muttered.

He expected his sensei to laugh and tease him a little more, but instead her face turned serious as she turned to face him fully. "That is a dangerous sentiment for a shinobi to have," she said admonishingly. "Particularly high ranking shinobi like you and Tenten."

Shino nodded. "Yes. But that does not mean it would be wise to rush the decision."

Kurenai-sensei studied him for a moment, and then folded her arms, the no-nonsense she had been directing at Kiba back on her face. "Shino, tell me you've at least discussed it with her."

"We have," he reassured her. "And while we agree on the eventuality, we have made no commitment to time or...quantity," he finished after a beat, feeling suddenly like a teenager having one of those awkward conversations with a parent.

"Well, talk about it some more then," Kurenai-sensei said decisively. "And bear in mind, Shino, that children will have more of an impact on Tenten than you, career-wise. Not only will she be out of commission while she's pregnant, but afterwards Konoha shinobi law regulates every new mother's ability to preform certain missions, like the kind that send you far away for a long time. Some kunoichi never recover from the break in their training," she added, her face and voice suddenly distant and unreadable. "Field qualifications lapse, muscle memory and technique-training fades, and all your priorities shift so much that even your thought-processes start to...change."

She shook herself a little, and looked Shino right in the eyes. "So you better make sure that you're both ready for it, if and when it happens."

Shino regarded her for a moment, then pushed off of the wall and bowed to her. He remembered the last time he had done this, years ago and right after his promotion to jounin rank. "Thank you, sensei," he said gravely, as he had then. "I hope that I can make you proud in this endeavor."

"You are one of the best people I have ever met," she smiled as she recognized what he was doing, and played along, repeating her words from his promotion. "I have always been proud of you." Then she reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder, something she had not done last time, and added, "And I know that your mother would have been thrilled beyond words today."

Through the kikkai link, Shino saw Tenten watching him, noted the slight concern in her eyes and absently wondered if that concern was due to Kurenai's expression or his own. Probably his own; she had not spent much time with his genin sensei, and was particularly sensitive to his emotional state. Hastily, Shino schooled his features and stood fully upright, once again in complete control.

And not a moment too soon, he realized, as the noise of the crowd suddenly swelled into an irate murmur at something that was now standing directly behind Shino.

He turned to find Uzumaki Naruto standing on top of the low wall of the patio, arms crossed and a pronounced scowl on his face. "Hey, Aburame Shino!" Naruto called in a voice that carried across the crowded space. "We gotta talk."

A few shinobi from the Academy started to shout something insulting, but Naruto made a rude gesture and cut them off with an imperious, "Shut up! Can't you see I'm talking to the important guy, here? So, Shino," he started again, hopping off the wall and striding to stand a few feet away, arms still crossed and body language defiant. Shino turned to square off with him, bracing himself for anything from an attack to a sudden proclamation of devotion. This was, after all, Konoha's number one surprising shinobi.

Abruptly, Naruto clapped his hands in front of his face and bowed his head. "I'm sorry if I upset you or Tenten," he said, in a loud but sincere voice. "Really sorry. So, so will you forgive me?"

Shino stared at the bright blond head for a moment, amused at this sudden turn of events. Before he could marshal a response, he felt a hand slide against his palm, and he curled his fingers around Tenten's with a quiet sense of satisfaction. _Finally._ Without looking at her, he asked aloud, "Were you upset?"

"Not really," Tenten replied.

"Then, in the interest of preserving the peace," Shino told the top of Naruto's head, "we forgive you."

One sly blue eye peered at them through Naruto's still-clasped hands. "You're cool with it?"

"Yep," Tenten answered.

"Me _and_ Kiba?"

"There is still some food left," Shino told him, sensing the underlying question.

"And no one will attack you if you come out of the shadows and join in the fun," Tenten finished, with just a hint of a smothered giggle in her voice.

Naruto blinked, and then burst into a wide smile. "You hear that, buddy?" He shouted over his shoulder. "It's all good now! Let's get some chow!"

"Awesome!" Kiba appeared immediately on the wall behind him. From where he sprawled next to Hinata, Akamaru gave a welcoming bark. Kiba flipped a jaunty salute to his furry partner and hastily beat feet to follow Naruto to the food tables. "Hey, save some, you hog!"

The crowd stared after them for a long moment; then Ino said, "_Idiots,_" and the conversational buzz picked back up where it had left off.

At his side, Tenten laughed and squeezed Shino's hand. "Alright, 'fess up, Aburame," she said. "What's with avoiding the bride all night? Or is it just the company I've been keeping?" To their left, there was a resounding crash, a cry of "Naruto, you doofus, smuggling Lee alcohol is _not funny_" followed by a booming, "YOSH! Ya want a piece a me, eh? Do ya? What'r'you lookin' at, blurry-face? Ya wanna make blurry faces at th' Beautiful Konoha Beast of Green, 's that it? _Punk?_"

"Oh, no. Come on," Tenten tugged his hand urgently, and Shino was all too willing to let her drag him away from the noise and lights of the patio and out into the dark, quiet streets of Konoha. She stopped just outside the wall and dropped his hand, slipping her arms around his waist instead. "You weren't avoiding me, were you?" she asked, leaning back to look up at his face.

Shino pulled her in close and rested his forehead against her hair, allowing himself to relax. For the first time all night, he stopped wishing for his jacket and heavy wraparound goggles. "No," he said with finality.

"Good," she said against his chest. "Because that would be a terrible beginning, wouldn't it? If you couldn't even talk to me on the first night of our marriage?"

Shino considered telling her that on the contrary, he had an abundance of things to discuss with her, not the least of which concerned their trip to the city capital in the morning. But he decided that now was not the time. "You were extremely popular tonight," he said instead.

"Yeah, weirdly enough. I think at least a dozen people who've never spoken to me before all seemed to suddenly be my best friend tonight." She shrugged. "I guess big events like this sort of do that to people. They distort reality a little."

"Did you enjoy it?" he asked.

"Yes," Tenten leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Your family is great, you know? And watching all our friends relax and have some fun together is always nice. It doesn't happen very often, does it?"

"Hm," Shino bent his head to meet her halfway.

"You'll have to keep talking to me," she said a moment later, pulling back. Her fingers tapped against his arm earnestly. "Living together will make it easier to see each other," she explained. "But we're still going to have crazy schedules that don't always match up and we'll be apart a lot. And I've heard all kinds of stories about people who get married and then just sort of take each other for granted, never talk or do stuff together or whatever, and next thing you know, they realize that they're both totally different people who don't even recognize each other any more."

Tenten shook her head as if to clear it. "So you're going to have to talk to me, even if you don't have anything to say but 'I did paperwork all day; it was very boring.' And I'll talk to you too." Her face lit up with another of her sudden smiles. "You pretty much can't avoid that." She reached up and tugged at his jacket playfully, then ran a palm across his chest down to his waist. "Promise you'll talk to me," she said in a lower, more serious tone.

Shino slid his hand along the smooth fabric on her shoulder to the smoother skin on the back of her neck, noting with interest how her cheeks flushed slightly and her back arched a little in response. "I will," he promised.

* * *

"Oy! Whar's Shino 'n' Tenten?"

"Who?"

"Shino. An' Tenten. The, uh, bug guy an' the chick with the, uh, y'know, hair."

"Wha' 'bout 'em?"

"They aren't here 'nymore. 'S their weddin', ain't it?"

"Who?"

"Bug guy! Shino! And knives….with the hair. Tententen. Hee. Too many tens."

"Twenties?"

"Yer so freakin' drunk."

"So're you!"

"So where're they?"

"…Who?"


End file.
